DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-11 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/02/2025 is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-3, 5, and 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GRAVES (US 11125315) in view of WAKABAYASHI (WO 2019230178).
Regarding claim 1, GRAVES discloses a motor (12A) comprising:
a rotor (117);
a stator that includes a stator core (116) and a coil (306, 308);
a housing (310) that houses the rotor (117) and the stator (116); and
a first annular member (first jet ring 120) that provides sealing between a first end surface (300) of the stator core (116) in a direction of an axis of the stator core (116) and an inner wall surface of the housing (310) (see Fig. 3), wherein
the first annular member (120) has a plurality of first holes (312) configured to be passed through by a refrigerant (pressurized jets of oil 315) that is injected toward a first coil end (306) of the coil, the first coil end (306) protruding from the first end surface (300) of the stator core (116), and
the first annular member (120) includes a first section in which at least two of the first holes (312) that are adjacent to each other are arranged in a circumferential direction of the first annular member (120) at a first interval (see Fig. 4B).
However, GRAVES does not disclose a second section in which at least two of the first holes that are adjacent to each other are arranged in the circumferential direction of the first annular member at a second interval that is larger than the first interval.
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WAKABAYASHI discloses a motor with a plurality of first holes arranged with a first section in which at least two of first holes (62) that are adjacent to each other are arranged in a circumferential direction of the annular member (60) at a first interval and a second section in which at least two of the first holes (62) that are adjacent to each other are arranged in the circumferential direction of the first annular member (60) at a second interval that is larger than the first interval. (see Fig. 4).
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WAKABAYASHI
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains to provide the end-winding of GRAVES with the second section in which at least two of the first holes that are adjacent to each other are arranged in the circumferential direction of the first annular member at a second interval that is larger than the first interval, similar to WAKABAYASHI.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to “uniformize the degree of cooling of the coils” as taught by WAKABAYASHI (see para [0077])
Regarding claim 2, GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI teaches the motor according to claim 1, wherein
WAKABAYASHI discloses the first holes are arranged asymmetrically with respect to a horizontal plane that passes through the axis of the stator core (J),
and are arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane that passes through the axis and that is orthogonal to the horizontal plane (see Fig. 4 of WAKABAYASHI).
Regarding claim 3, GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI teaches the motor according to claim 2, wherein
WAKABAYASHI discloses the first section is located above the second section in a vertical direction (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 5, GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI teaches the motor according to claim 1, wherein:
GRAVES discloses the first coil end (306) includes a conductor member (end-windings, see Col 5, lines 35-67) disposed over a partial range in a circumferential direction of the first coil end (306).
Regarding claim 9, GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI teaches the motor according to claim 1, wherein
WAKABAYASHI discloses the first interval is percent or less of the second interval (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 10, GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI teaches the motor according to claim 1.
GRAVES discloses a second annular member (second jet ring 121) that provides sealing between a second end surface (302) of the stator core (116) and the inner wall surface of the housing (310), the second end surface (302) being located on an opposite side of the first end surface (300) of the stator core (116) in the direction of the axis of the stator core (116), wherein the second annular member (121) has a plurality of second holes (314) configured to be passed through by a refrigerant (second pressurized jet 317) that is injected toward a second coil end (308) of the coil, the second coil end protruding from the second end surface (302) of the stator core (116) (see Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 11, GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI teaches the motor according to claim 10, wherein
the second holes (314) are arranged in a circumferential direction of the second annular member (121) at regular intervals (see Fig. 4B, Fig. 5B).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI and further in view of ITO (US 20230063496).
Regarding claim 6, GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI teaches the motor according to claim 5, as discussed above.
The instant specification discloses “The neutral point connecting member 364 is a member that connects the other ends of the respective phase coils. That is, the neutral point connecting member 364 is a member including a neutral point of the coil 22.” See para [0044]. To the extent that this should be considered a definition of the term ‘neutral point connecting member’, GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI does not teach the conductor member includes a neutral point connecting member that includes a neutral point of the coil.
ITO discloses a motor with a stator (3) and a cooling port (23) with a conductor member (31) that includes a neutral point connecting member (bridging portion 36b) that includes a neutral point of the coil (see paragraphs [0092-0095] and Fig. 17).
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It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains to provide the end-winding of GRAVES in the form of the neutral point connecting member of ITO, as part of a 3-phase coil coupled by mutually connecting segment coils.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to increase protrusion height of the coil and to ensure the coil ends are cooled and cooling performance is increased. (See ITO para [0008] and [0099].)
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI and further in view of PURMAN (US 3805101).
Regarding claim 7, GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI teaches the motor according to claim 5, as discussed above.
However, GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI does not teach the conductor member includes a plurality of power lines that protrudes in the direction of the axis of the stator core from the first coil end.
PURMAN discloses a motor with a stator (48) and a conductor member (54) that includes a plurality of power lines (53) that protrudes in the direction of the axis of the stator core (at least partially; see Fig. 1) from a first coil end.
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It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains to provide the end-winding of GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI with power lines that protrudes in the direction of the axis of the stator core from a first coil end, similar to those of PURMAN.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to provide current to the windings and from an external power source for effectuating electro-mechanical energy conversion as taught by PURMAN (see col. 2, lines 49-61).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI and further in view of KONAKA (US 20210126499).
Regarding claim 8, GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI teaches the motor (according to claim 1, as discussed above, and further wherein the first coil end (306) includes a first region and a second region.
However, GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI does not teach a space factor of the coil in the second region is lower than a space factor of the coil in the first region
KONAKA discloses a motor with a cooling jacket (16) and a coil winding (11) with a first region (outside a slot of the stator core) and a second region (in a slot of the stator core) wherein a space factor of the coil in the second region is lower than a space factor of the coil in the first region (see para [0012]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains to provide the end-winding of GRAVES in view of WAKABAYASHI with a space factor of the coil in the second region is lower than a space factor of the coil in the first region, similar to that of KONAKA; and the specific region of GRAVES (any region as described with respect to claim 4, above) includes at least a part of the first region.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to avoid reduced performance and cooling efficiency of the electric motor as taught by KONAKA (see para [0012]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20170025911 JEWELL and US 20250226719 SUDHAHAR both disclose coolant channels with differential geometry about a vertical plane.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN STEFANON whose telephone number is (703)756-4648. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday and alternate Fridays 8AM - 5PM EDT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Oluseye Iwarere can be reached at (571) 270-5112. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUSTIN STEFANON/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834